The End of the Road
by mad4tv
Summary: This story is obviously over a year too late, but this is my idea of a conversation that Christian and Oliver should have had before their second divorce in 2014.


_It's a massive shame that Christian and Oliver had an off-screen divorce in 2014 considering everything that they had been through, but I understand that it was mainly due to Thore's availability at the time, which couldn't be helped. Anyway, this is an idea I had where Olli visits Christian in London in early 2014 to end their marriage properly._

* * *

Christian hadn't stopped fidgeting since he had arrived at the coffee shop. He crumbled bits of muffin in his hands and despite his insatiable appetite, he wasn't hungry. Instead, he was mulling over the possibilities for Olli suddenly wanting to visit him and he thought back to his husband's ominous text a couple of days earlier, asking when he next had a day off work so that he could fly over to England from Germany and meet up with him. Christian had agreed to meet up in a little coffee shop that they had been to several times together when Olli had stayed with him a few months earlier. Christian glanced between the door, the clock and his muffin as he waited impatiently for his husband's arrival.

The door swung open and despite the fact that Christian knew every inch and detail of his husband's face and body, he still had to stare at him for a few moments before the reality sunk in that it was really his husband at the other end of the room. Christian didn't think it was possible, but Olli looked more stunning every time he laid eyes on him. His short, dark hair had gone grey in places - which he loved - and his green eyes glimmered in the low lighting, causing Olli to become more tantalising than usual. Like iron to a magnet, Christian was drawn across the room towards his husband, and huge smiles crept onto their faces as the distance between them got smaller. As they finally reached each other, Olli was taken aback by Christian kissing him deeply and throwing his arms around him in a tight embrace.

"I've missed you so much" Christian whispered into Olli's neck, inhaling his familiar scent

"I've missed you too" Olli murmured in return

Christian pulled away and held him at arm's length, still taken back by his husband's appearance, "You look incredible" he breathed, then swallowed, "not that you didn't before though"

Olli chuckled, "Thanks, you look great too" he replied as he studied the gorgeous man from head to toe, then looked worried, "But you **are** taking things easy, right? Not over-exerting yourself or anything?"

Christian rolled his eyes whilst grinning, "Don't worry, my job isn't overly demanding. And yes, I'm still taking all my tablets and stuff"

Olli nodded smugly, "Good"

There was a pause before Christian cleared his throat, "Not that I'm not thrilled about you being here, but why so sudden?"

Olli hesitated, "There was something I wanted to talk to you about"

Christian gulped worriedly and glanced at the counter, "Well why don't we get some coffees to go, then we can walk and talk outside?"

Olli nodded in agreement. Although he didn't want to prolong this, he knew that the conversation was going to be difficult and heart-wrenching, so he went along with Christian's plan in an attempt to relax the atmosphere.

xxx

"So, how's NoLimits doing?" Christian asked, attempting to break the awkward silence that had descended upon them as they wandered through the streets.

Olli shrugged, "Busy as usual, keeping me on my toes" he replied, inwardly trying to figure out how to bring up the topic of their marriage, "What about you, mister horse-whisperer?"

Christian chuckled, "Yeah, it's been hectic lately with all the new arrivals"

"I can imagine" Olli agreed

There was a pause as they continued walking through the city, "How long are you planning to stick around for?" Christian asked, hoping that Olli would be staying for the foreseeable future.

Olli shrugged, "Not long really" he admitted

Christian swallowed his disappointment, "Well you know you can stay with me as long you want" he assured him

Olli shook his head, "Thanks, but that won't be necessary" he replied quietly

"Why not?" Christian asked, "Don't you want us to spend time together while you're here?"

Olli hesitated and Christian stopped to face him, taking his husband's hands in his own "I want to make the most of every second that you're in London" he whispered, "I don't know when we'll next see each other again"

Christian gazed at Olli worriedly and continued, "I think about you all the time" he revealed quietly, rubbing his husband's arms, "I'm lying in bed wishing you were there beside me. Or I'm at a bar expecting you to be there, serving the customers and sneaking kisses to me over the counter like you used to. I can't stop thinking about you"

Olli's eyes welled with tears, "That's the problem" he choked out as he removed his hands from Christian's, "I don't think about you the way that you think about me"

Christian was taken aback by Olli's abruptness but slowly nodded in realisation, "There's someone else, isn't there?"

Olli glanced away, "Kind of" he murmured, "There was someone quite recently, just once and we were drunk. You know, it just happened"

There was a lingering pause as Christian absorbed this piece of news and shrugged heavily, "I guess I can't be angry at you for cheating when I've done the same to you more than once"

Olli swallowed, "I hate myself more than you could ever hate me for it"

Christian shook his head gravely and gazed into Olli's eyes, "I could **never** hate you" he argued softly, "Ich liebe dich"

Olli smiled slightly, "Ich liebe dich auch" he murmured, then cleared this throat, "But that's not enough, is it?"

Christian considered this, "You're talking about my job, right?"

Olli nodded, "We both know this whole arrangement isn't working" he pointed out, "This isn't a marriage anymore, it's barely a long-distance relationship"

Christian shrugged, "I guess so. I mean, when I took the job offer in the first place – even though it was only supposed to be for a few months – I knew that things wouldn't ever be the same again"

Olli nodded, "I guess I thought that after everything we've been through, we'd be able to handle it"

"That's what I thought too" Christian agreed

"But the distance has driven us apart" Olli pointed out, "And the fact that we've both cheated just proves that even more"

There was another pause, "Does this mean that we're over?" Christian asked despondently

Olli shrugged heavily, "I don't want it to be" he admitted, "But deep down it's the only option, especially if you're not coming back to Düsseldorf any time soon"

Christian shook his head, "I didn't have any immanent plans" he replied, "And I'm not going to force you to move here when your life is in Germany"

Olli smiled briefly, "Our lives have changed so much over the last couple of years" he noted, "We've drifted apart and I hate it"

Christian nodded, "Me too" he breathed, then paused before asking, "So, if this is really happening, what do we do now?"

xxx

Bitterly remembering their first divorce about three years earlier, Christian and Olli decided to arrange their own divorce. Both men were in agreement of the reasons for divorce and didn't want to involve solicitors, especially considering that neither of them were UK citizens, so it made sense to do it themselves. Unlike the last time, however, there was no sense of bitterness or longing regret. Instead, there was nostalgia but also a feeling of rejuvenation as they filled in the paperwork, both men knowing that despite the heartbreak, this was the right thing to do and an opportunity for a fresh start.

Christian and Olli made their way to the court to hand in all of their documents, walking side by side in silence. Once they reached the entrance they held each other's gazes, again being transported back to their first divorce.

"This is it" Olli began

Christian nodded, "Yeah, I guess it is"

Taking a deep breath, Christian held the door open for Olli, who smiled politely as he entered.

Once they had handed in their paperwork, Christian and Olli trudged out of the court. Although their Decree Absolute hadn't been issued – meaning that they were still legally married – they considered themselves divorced and stopped outside the building as the realisation hit them.

"How do you feel now?" Christian asked distantly

Olli paused, "I don't know. Ask me again tomorrow" he replied as he shrugged heavily

Christian looked surprised, "Will I even see you tomorrow?" he questioned, "I didn't think you'd be sticking around for that long"

Olli shrugged, "Well it's too late to go back to Germany now, so I guess I'll have to book a flight for tomorrow"

Christian nodded, "Do you want me to take you?" he asked, "I know you hate airport goodbyes, but it'll save you money on a taxi"

Olli shook his head dismissively, "You don't have to do that" he replied

Christian gazed at him, "I want to" he assured him, craving any opportunity he could to spend time with him before he returned to Germany, "Please let me"

Olli held his stare and nodded, "Ok, that would be great, thanks"

xxx

Olli hesitated as Christian dropped him off at the airport. As he was about to head inside Christian suddenly jumped out, " Why don't I wait with you?" he suggested, "Your flight's not for a while yet, I'll keep you company"

Olli smiled slightly, "Ok, sure. That'd be good"

Christian smiled before locking the car and walking with Olli into the airport.

Christian insisted on buying them something to eat, and Olli inwardly laughed at the fact that his ex-husband's eating habits hadn't changed at all over the years. During their meal, they discussed everything under the sun; it seemed as though all of the tension in the lead-up to the divorce had disappeared, leaving them as two guys who acted like friends: something that they briefly were once upon a time.

Eventually Olli decided to head to the boarding area, and Christian's heart sunk. Hastily, he stood up and handed Olli's bags to him, "Are we ever going to see each other again?" he asked earnestly and slightly spontaneously

Olli glanced at him briefly and shook his head gravely, "I doubt it, unless you come back to Germany"

"Trust me, I'm tempted" Christian joked

Olli sniggered and Christian looked more serious, "Germany will always be my real home; **you** will always be my real home"

Olli nodded, "It's just that your life's here right now, I get it" he assured him

Christian smiled slightly, "But if you ever change your mind, or you happen to be in England – for whatever reason – then just give me a call and I'll-"

Olli caught on to what he was suggesting and shook his head to interrupt, "Don't" he warned him, "Don't spend the rest of your life waiting for me. You need to carry on living your own life; I'd hate to think of you sitting around hoping that I'll come back to you if I'm not going to"

Christian nodded, "Well maybe deep down I'll always hope it'll happen" he began coyly, "But you're right, I need to live my own life now"

Olli smiled slightly, "I'm glad we finally agree on something"

Christian chuckled before hesitating, "I hope you find someone who makes you happy, someone that you deserve"

Olli nodded, "You too"

There was a pause before Christian murmured, "Don't forget me, ok?"

Olli shook his head, "No way, that'll never happen" he choked out, "I know you'll always be the love of my life, and I'm not going to forget that"

"Same here" Christian agreed before exhaling, "I'm sorry it didn't work out"

"Me too" Olli whispered

To Christian's surprise, Olli pulled him in for a tender kiss followed by a long hug.

"I love you, Christian Mann" Olli murmured, "Always have, always will"

"I love you too, Oliver Sabel" Christian whispered before pulling away, "Have a safe trip, ok?"

Olli smiled, "Thanks" he replied before letting go of Christian and whispering, "Goodbye Schatz"

Olli turned to walk in the opposite direction, leaving Christian to watch after him. Although he was devastated about losing Olli again – this time for good – he felt a sense of relief and knew that he had to take Olli's advice about living his own life. It felt like closure for both of them, knowing that they weren't holding each other back and that they could move on from the past, into the future.

* * *

 _Thanks for reading:_ _I hope people enjoyed it (and please leave a review if you can). I was recently in the mood to watch some Chrolli videos as well as Olli's brief relationship with Jo (which I rather enjoyed; it was quite sweet actually), but it reminded me of the terrible way that Christian and Olli's relationship ended so I was inspired to write this. I hope that this is somewhat close to the way that Chrolli fans imagined their final divorce and does justice to the storyline._


End file.
